News Archive - 2010

The Order of Malta has a new Cardinal Patronus

Rome, 20 November 2010

In a moving ceremony at the Basilica of
St.Peter’s, Pope Benedict XVI has created as
cardinal Archbishop Paolo Sardi, patron of the
Sovereign Military Order of Malta. His
Eminence was appointed Patron of the Order in 2009,
following the death of Cardinal Pio Laghi, who had
served the Order is this role for many years. His
Eminence is the Vice Chamberlain of the Holy Roman
Church, and since 1996 has been Apostolic Nuncio
with special responsibilities and now also Cardinal
Patronus of the Order.

Since his appointment by the Pope to the role of
Patron, the new cardinal has been working closely
with senior members of the Order, lending his
presence and his wisdom to ongoing activities in
both the religious and hospitaller spheres.
Born 1 September 1934 in Ricaldone, province of
Alessandria, diocese of Aqui, Cardinal Sardi has,
since the pontificate of John Paul II, coordinated
the Vatican office which edits the Pope’s texts and
addresses. Ordained a priest on 29 June 1958, after
a licentiate in theology he graduated in canon law
and jurisprudence at the Università Cattolica del
Sacro Cuore in Milan. He taught moral theology in
Turin until 1976, when he was called to the Vatican
to work in the Secretariat of State. In 1992 he was
appointed Vice Councillor and on 10 December 1996,
Apostolic Nuncio with special responsibilities and
titular Archbishop of Sutrium. On 6 January 1997,
Pope John Paul II ordained him bishop in the Vatican
Basilica. On 23 October 2004 he was nominated Vice
Camerlengo (chamberlain) of the Holy Roman Church.
Cardinal Paolo Sardi has the task of promoting the
spiritual interests of the Order and its members and
its relations with the Holy See.

The members of the Order around the world share
the joy of this day and the ascent to high office of
their new Cardinal Patronus.

Countdown to historic birth at the Holy Family Hospital, Bethlehem

Excitement is building for an historic birth at the Holy Family Hospital, Bethlehem, located only 500 yards from the traditional birthplace of Jesus. After 20 years in operation under the Order of Malta, the Holy Family Hospital will welcome into the world its 50,000th baby – as soon as this month!

Up until 4 October, the total stands at 49,803 babies delivered since 1990, the year the Order of Malta reopened the facility as a maternity hospital. It refuses no-one on the basis of race, religion nor ability to pay.

“Because of the shortage of well-trained nurses and doctors in Palestine, our neonatal team is overloaded with work,” Dr. Jacques Keutgen, General Manager of the Hospital, reports. “All the difficult cases, not just from the Bethlehem district, but also from Hebron and sometimes Ramallah, are being sent to the Holy Family Hospital. During June and July 2010 we had an occupancy rate of 97%. That means a strong commitment, not only medically, but financially too.”

Mobile Outreach Team treat desert communities
For the past five years, hospital staff members also have been bringing hope, on weekly visits to desperately poor families living in the desert near Bethlehem. The Holy Family Hospital mobile outreach van regularly visits three locations in the Judean desert. Word has spread through the remote communities, and scores of women and children venture down from the hills to be examined by the team.

“Families exist in dreadful poverty and isolation in this area,” says Colleen Marotta, executive director of the Holy Family Hospital of Bethlehem Foundation in Washington. “They live in canvas tents or metal shacks with no running water, no electricity, no sanitation, in extended family groups of 20-40 … outcasts of a cast-out population.”

The Holy Family Hospital mobile outreach medical team perform prenatal, paediatric and gynaecological examinations, and laboratory tests. The team also educate mothers about hygiene and childcare, and check on living conditions. During an average stop, the team will examine 30 expectant mothers, all in desperate need of prenatal care.

With great joy and satisfaction the Order of Malta family awaits the 50,000th baby to be born at Bethlehem.

Austrian Malteser group welcomed by British Grand Priory

Anthony Delarue reports

London, 26 August 2010

‘A group of Malades and young volunteers from
Malteser Austria visited London this week, and were
welcomed by members of the Grand Priory and
Companions of the Order. They spent an action-packed
five days visiting London, including a boat-trip and
a picnic on the lawn along the river at Greenwich,
where Fra' Richard Cheffins explained the history of
the town and the Royal Naval College, a conducted
tour of Catholic sites around his parish of the City
of London by Fr.Peter Newby and tea in the sacristy
at St Mary Moorfields, a visit to the Tower of
London, arriving by boat and greeted by the
Governor, Major General Keith Cima, with a guided
tour by the Yeoman Gaoler – and the inevitable
shopping trip. The group also visited the Order’s
Hospital of St.John and St.Elizabeth and the
Conventual Church, where Fr.Newby celebrated Mass in
Latin and German. The torrential rain in which we
finally saw our guests off did not seem to have
dampened their spirits in the least, at the end of a
really enjoyable week for all involved.’

Pakistan: the Order’s emergency relief service aids flood victims

Swat/Islamabad, 17 August 2010

In flood-devastated northern Pakistan, medical
teams from the Order’s Malteser International are
working in three Health Units alongside national
health staff to provide emergency medical relief to
the devastated population in Swat District, caring
for over 1000 patients a day. With roads and bridges
destroyed and thousands of homes swept away in the
worst floods in living memory, the people of this
region are in dire need. The teams are distributing
drinking water and water purification tablets,
nutrition and hygiene kits, and sending mobile
clinics into different villages every day.

Active in Pakistan since the earthquake in 2005,
and since last August providing basic health care
for internally displaced persons returning to their
home villages in Swat District, Malteser
International was able to give immediate emergency
medical relief to the affected population.

Disaster prevention: Malteser International will
aid the health system in Swat District to be better
prepared for catastrophes, will rebuild and equip
Health Units washed away by the floods and
strengthen the disaster preparedness of those still
standing. The teams include their international
experts and local staff.

Malteser International is the worldwide
relief service of the Order of Malta for
humanitarian aid. Currently it has over 200
programmes running in 30 countries.

The Order of Malta has launched an appeal for
the Pakistan flood victims. Donations may be made by
post to the Foreign Aid Service of the British
Association of the Order of Malta (FAS). Cheques
should be made payable to BASMOM FAS, and sent to:
FAS, 40 Eland Road, London SW11 5JY or with a
credit/debit card at
www.justgiving.com/FAS

The Order’s 27th International Summer Camp triumphs in British summer sunshine (and showers)

The 27th International Ordersummer camp for handicapped young

‘Il campeggio cambia la vita.’ Enrico, Italian
guest from near Genoa, on his second visit to the
Order’s camp. ‘The Camp transforms everyone. I love
it.’ Enrico was one of the 150 guests and 300
helpers and friends who came from 20 countries to
spend a week at the Order’s 27th International
Summer Camp for Handicapped Young at Bluestone,
Pembrokeshire, in the heart of Wales.

Great Britain hosted the Camp for the first time,
organising a full programme of activities, cultural
events, sight-seeing, an internet cafe, a disco, and
giving guests the chance to greet old friends and
meet new ones in a relaxed environment where
nationalities and languages mixed happily together.
A highlight was the Mass celebrated in St. David’s
Cathedral, where the Grand Master, together with
other senior members of the Order and the
congregation of guests and volunteers, was welcomed
by the Dean, the Very Reverend Jonathan Lean.
Another was an excursion the whole Camp made to
Pembroke Castle, in 13 buses and 8 ambulances. The
sun shone, the Welsh Guards band played in full
regalia, delighting everyone, there was a falcon
display, face painting, supper al fresco in the
Castle Keep, and the fiercely fought Christopher Cup
croquet competition which was won by Spain, with the
Grand Master presenting the trophy.

The Camp’s sponsors included a special grant from
the European Union Youth Programme, the third time
the Order has been accorded this honour.

The band

Grand Master presents Spain with Christopher's Cup

The hugely popular disco

Internet Cafe

Interviewing for themust-read daily newspaper

Group GB!

In 2011, the 28th International Summer Camp of
the Order of Malta will be held in Italy in Lignano
Sabbiadoro (Udine) from July 23 to 30.

Great Britain to host the Order of Malta’s 2010 International Holiday Camp

2nd July 2010

For the first time, the Order of Malta’s
International Holiday Camp - the 27th - is set to
take place in Britain.

Later this month, more than 150 disabled guests
and 300 helpers will come together at the Bluestone
holiday village in Pembrokeshire, on the South Wales
coast.

The annual Order of Malta camp caters for people
aged 18 to 35 with a range of backgrounds and
disabilities. It offers them the chance to take part
in activities that would not normally be accessible
to them – including, this year, scuba diving and
flying lessons with the British Disabled Flying
Association.

The camp’s hosts, the British Association of the
Order of Malta, look forward to offering guests, who
will come from all over the world, the chance to
share a holiday and to experience Catholic
spirituality and British hospitality. The theme for
the 2010 camp is taken from a Beatles song: “All you
need is love”. The Association’s President, Charles
Weld, notes: “The Order’s international summer
camp for young people with disabilities gives us the
opportunity to welcome both newcomers and old
friends to a very special gathering. The theme for
this year – “All you need is love” – inspires every
one of us.”

The Order of Malta is the oldest Catholic
religious charitable order in the world. From its
foundation almost ten centuries ago, the Order’s
mission has been to live according to Christian
principles and to help the poor and the sick with
total impartiality. Historically, this included
pilgrims to the Holy Land.

Today the Order of Malta has 13,000 members
worldwide and works in the field of medical and
social care in more than 120 countries, including
running hospitals and providing emergency relief.

General Lord Guthrie, Vice-President of the
British Association of the Order affirms: "The camp
will greatly benefit all those who are attending
from 20 countries. Quite apart from giving great
pleasure, it may well also alter lives for the
better."

GRAND MASTER RECEIVED BY HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI

Vatican City, 25 June 2010

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI received in
audience Fra’ Matthew Festing, Grand Master of the
Order of Malta, accompanied by members of the
Sovereign Council.

The long private conversation focused on the
Order of Malta’s initiatives to foster
inter-religious dialogue and its commitment in the
Holy Land, as well as its medical and humanitarian
work in some of the most devastated areas of the
earth, including Haiti and Africa, often mentioned
in the Pope’s appeals.

After the meeting with the Pope, the delegation
was received by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Secretary
of State.

Pope Benedict XVI asked the Grand Master to
extend his best wishes to all the Order of Malta’s
members for the feast of St. John the Baptist.

ARCHBISHOP PAOLO SARDI PRO-PATRON OF THE ORDER OF MALTA

Rome, 8 June 2009

Pope Benedict XVI yesterday appointed Archbishop
Paolo Sardi pro-patron of the Sovereign Military
Order of Malta. Italian, Vice Chamberlain of the
Holy Roman Church, since 1996 Archbishop Sardi has
been Apostolic Nuncio with special responsibilities.
He succeeds Cardinal Pio Laghi, who died in January.

Born 1 September 1934 in Ricaldone, province of
Alessandria, Archbishop Sardi has, since the
pontificate of John Paul II, coordinated the Vatican
office which edits the Pope’s texts and addresses.

Ordained a priest on 29 June 1958, after a
licentiate in theology he graduated in canon law and
jurisprudence at the Università Cattolica del Sacro
Cuore in Milan. He taught moral theology in Turin
until 1976, when he was called to the Vatican to
work in the Secretariat of State. In 1992 he was
appointed Vice Councillor and on 10 December 1996,
Apostolic Nuncio with special responsibilities and
titular Archbishop of Sutrium. On 6 January 1997,
Pope John Paul II ordained him bishop in the Vatican
Basilica. On 23 October 2004 he was nominated Vice
Camerlengo (chamberlain) of the Holy Roman Church.

Archibishop Paolo Sardi has the task of promoting
the spiritual interests of the Order and its
members, and its relations with the Holy See.

In wind and rain, a sanctuary

52nd annual Order of Malta international Lourdes pilgrimage: 6,000 pilgrims from 32 countries

Lourdes, 1 May 2010

The British group pray in the sanctuary

To the thousands of pilgrims who came this week
to Lourdes, the most visited of sanctuaries, the
heavy rains and cold wind made no difference. They
came to find peace and hope in the valley where,
over 150 years ago, a young Bernadette received
apparitions of the Virgin Mary, and where today so
many find solace.

Every May the Order of Malta makes its
international pilgrimage to Lourdes, its members and
volunteers accompanying the sick whom they care for
throughout the week. This year the pilgrims numbered
over 6,000 and came from 32 countries – in Africa,
the Americas, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. The
Order’s mission was to pray for all who need help,
and to give support and love to the sick they
brought with them to this extraordinary place.

The British group, led by Hospitaller Tim
Orchard, welcomed old friends and new among the
infirm pilgrims. ‘It is a privilege to serve them,’
said a new volunteer, following the Order’s historic
aspiration to care for the sick.

The demands of religious life in a secular society

Grand Master presides over historic meeting of professed members of the Order

Oxford, 10 April 2010

Over forty Professed members of the Order of
Malta (those who have taken monastic vows) and
novices met at
Merton College Oxford from 8-12 April. The momentous
occasion marked the first international coming
together for many years of Professed knights of the
Order. Vigorous discussions on the demands of a
religious life in a secular society underpinned the
meeting’s concerns, which looked at historic as well
as modern perspectives in this, the world’s oldest
Catholic chivalric lay Order.

The Grand Master, Fra’ Matthew Festing, presided
over the event, organised by the Grand Priory of
England which
also arranged for an exceptional concert of sacred
music associated with the Order to be performed by the ‘Schola Baptista,’
conducted by Eoghain Murphy.

Grand Master talks to The Times about the Order's historical context, its works and its relevance to today's world

Haiti: two months on

Good news among the ruins

Leogane, Haiti/Cologne, 10 March 2010

Jim Malte, born in the Order’s health centre in Dargonne.

[Photo: Westfälische Nachrichten/Jürgen Peperhowe]

The Order’s worldwide emergency service, Malteser
International, continues to work with victims of the
January earthquake which swept away so many lives
and dreams. The team on the ground – currently 12
international doctors, nurses, logisticians and
administrators and numerous local volunteers - again
and again experiences glimmers of hope. Recently, a
young mother gave birth to a healthy son in the
Order’s centre in Darbonne and spontaneously named
him Jim Malte in gratitude to the medical team.

The Order of Malta Master Plan for Haiti takes
shape
The Associations and organisations of the
Order of Malta working in Haiti recently met in
Miami to coordinate their disaster response and
develop a Master Plan for the rehabilitation and
reconstruction of the country. “Basic health care
through health centres and mobile medical teams,
vaccination campaigns, psychosocial care, access to
drinking water, sanitation and - of course - poverty
reduction will be focus points of our long-term
commitment”, Ingo Radtke Malteser International
Secretary General reports. “We don’t work for the
people in Haiti - but with them. We will pool all
the Order’s relief efforts and integrate our relief
measures into Haitian structures to foster long-term
reconstruction.”

Haiti: Water, sanitation and hygiene become the big issues

Order emergency relief, Malteser International, in Leogane

Port-au-Prince/Cologne, 29 January 2010

A medication table, created from old boards, in the health camp, Leogane

From today the team from the Order of Malta’s
emergency relief organisation, Malteser
International, has taken over the health post camp
in Leogane from their Argentinian partners. The team
- medical doctors, nurses, a midwife and a paramedic
- is providing basic medical assistance both in the
camp and the surrounding areas. In addition, the
team will support urgently needed vaccination
campaigns. The World Health Organisation reports
occurrences of tetanus and suspicions of measles
though this is not yet confirmed.

“Conditions in the camp are still rudimentary and
patients have to lie on the floor,” Beate Maass,
Malteser International’s humanitarian coordinator,
explains. “Transport is a problem. Latrines are
needed too. There were complications this morning
during a birth and we had to transport the patient
to the nearest hospital in a rented staff car. We
are very happy that the baby was born safely in the
hospital by Caesarean section.” Malteser
International’s partner organisation, ArcheNova
(‘Initiatives for People in Need’), will build
makeshift latrines for the patients in the camp.

Malteser International is installing two water
treatment plants in Leogane. Each will give 8,000
people sufficient drinking water daily. Hygiene and
health promotion campaigns are planned to start
within the next few days.

The British Association of the Order of Malta has
raised over £100,000 so far in its appeal for the
earthquake victims. Donations go directly to those
who have lost everything. You can donate online
through our website (www.justgiving.com/fas),
or by sending a cheque made payable to BASMOM
Foreign Aid Service. If you are a UK taxpayer and
complete a GiftAid form (see British Association
Appeal, 14 January on this website), we can also
reclaim the tax on your donation

Brompton Oratory was all but filled for a
Memorial Mass to honour and to remember with great
affection the life of Anthony Gerard Edward Noel,
5th Earl of Gainsborough. The Requiem was celebrated
by Fr. Ronald Creighton-Jobe and the music, from
Anerio's Missa Pro Defunctis, was sung by the London
Oratory Choir.

Thirty members of the family were present, the
Dowager Lady Gainsborough escorted by her son
Viscount Camden, the new Earl of Gainsborough.
Cardinal Cormac Murphy O' Connor and the Grand Prior
of England were robed in the sanctuary.

Seventy members of the Order and a multitude of
friends attended, including a contingent of estate
workers and their families, all of whom the late
Lord Gainsborough knew personally.

In his homily, Fr. Ronald Creighton-Jobe spoke of
Tony Gainsborough's sixty years of service to the
Order of Malta and the Church, championing the
Lourdes pilgrimage, devoting much time to the
development of the Hospital of St. John and St.
Elizabeth as its chairman, and latterly to the
Orders of St John Homes Care Trust. His kindly
presence was a comfort to malades over many years of
devotion to them.

Lord Gainsborough was a past president of the
British Association, chairman of Rutland County
Council and a well-loved Commodore of the Bembridge
Sailing Club. A generous host and friend, Tony
Gainsborough was married for 62 years, was a member
of the Order for 60, raised 7 children and lived to
know his great grandchild.

Malteser International teams in Haiti fight infection risk

Poor hygienic conditions create high infection rates in wounds

Port-au-Prince/Cologne, 22 January 2010

Hospital Francois de Sales,
Port-au-Prince

“Because of the poor hygienic conditions here,
even simple wounds after first treatment can become
dangerous for the patient. We are facing high
infection rates for wounds already treated, so we
are reinforcing our medical aid in this field,”
reports Dr.Klaus Runggaldier, Malteser
International´s head of rescue services. “More
emergency health kits with antibiotics, medicines
and dressing material arrived in Port-au-Prince
yesterday. The timing was vital.”

Hospital Francois de Sales,
Port-au-Prince

Further international medical staff from France,
Belgium and Germany have arrived in Haiti today,
including Dr. Alfred Kinzelbach, a highly
experienced public health expert and regional
coordinator for Malteser International in the Great
Lakes, who flew in from Uganda.

In response to yesterday’s aftershock, the
Malteser International team in Haiti will install an
earthquake early warning system.

The British Association of the Order of Malta has
already raised $120,000 in its appeal for the
victims of this overwhelming tragedy. Donations go
directly to those who have lost everything. You can
donate online through our website (www.justgiving.com/fas),
or by sending a cheque made payable to BASMOM
Foreign Aid Service. If you are a UK taxpayer and
complete a GiftAid form (see British Association
Appeal, 14 January on this website), we can also
reclaim the tax on your donation.

First patients arrive by helicopter at the Order's Hopital Sacre Coeur, Milot

Malteser International team reaches Port-au-Prince

A first report from the 'quake epicentre

Cologne, 16 January 2010

The Malteser International medical aid team with
two French, four Haitian and four German staff
members finally reached Port-au-Prince last night,
flying into the Dominican Republic and driving to
Haiti. “The border crossings are completely
blocked,” Dr. Georg Nothelle, Malteser International
emergency relief coordinator and team head reports.
“Numerous teams of helpers want to get in.
Haitian people want to get out. We had to wait more
than two hours at the border.” He continues: “The
hospitals in the border region in the Dominican
Republic meanwhile are filled to capacity with the
injured from Haiti.” Malteser International is also
planning to support these hospitals.

The local Malteser team in Haiti has provided
accommodation for the team in a district of
Port-au-Prince that has not been damaged. But many
other helpers have had to return to the airport area
in the evening to sleep.

Aid actions for the coming week
The Malteser International team will now split up
into smaller groups to assess needs and provide
firstaid in the different districts of the city.
They will also try to reach severely damaged towns
and villages to the west and south of Port-au-Prince
and provide assistance there. “Help is needed
urgently in so many places but the search and rescue
teams cannot be everywhere at the same time,”
Nothelle explains. “There are dead bodies
everywhere. They look just as if they were asleep,
with people are just passing by. It’s really
terrible.”

On Sunday, 17 January, a second Malteser
International team will arrive in the crisis region
via Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) to reinforce the
medical team on the ground, with whom they are in
continuous contact.

On Monday, 18 January, Cesar Russo, Malteser
International chief logistician in Myanmar after
cyclone Nargis hit the country in 2008, will arrive
in Haiti with emergency health kits containing urgently needed medicines; Malteser teams in the
USA are preparing to send medicines purchased on the
regional market.

Malteser International is the worldwide relief
agency of the Sovereign Order of Malta for
humanitarian aid. The organisation provides aid in
about 200 projects in more than 20 countries without
distinction of religion, race or political
persuasion. Christian values and the humanitarian
principles of impartiality and independence are the
foundation of its work. For more information:
www.malteser-international.org and
www.orderofmalta.org

British Association Haiti appeal launched today

Haiti: Malteser International responds to devastating earthquake

Medical team leave for emergency relief in the disaster region

Port au Prince/Cologne, 13 January 2010

A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti in the
late evening yesterday, with reports giving many
hundreds dead, thousands injured and leaving
countless people homeless. Grey dust covers the area
where as yet an unknown number of buildings and
homes have been destroyed. There is significant
damage to the infrastructure, roads and the
communication system.

“Due to the soil erosion, our capital lacks a
solid base. With mudslides following the earthquake,
the slums built on the hills have completely slipped
off,” reports Eduard Aimé from Haiti . “Even the
more solid buildings like the presidential palace,
the ministries and the cathedral have been severely
damaged.”

Top priority: basic medical care, clean drinking
water
Malteser International is preparing the
deployment of an expert medical team from Germany
and France to support local Malteser teams on the
ground. “Our colleagues in Haiti are fully aware
that basic medical care and the provision of clean
drinking water are matters of top priority now,”
Ingo Radtke, Secretary General of Malteser
International, explains. The emergency relief of
Malteser International is coordinated within the
worldwide international network of the Order of
Malta.

For 15 years the Order of Malta, through its
Associations in the United States, has been
supporting a hospital (Hôpital Sacré Coeur, Milot)
in the north of Haiti, the poorest country in the
Western hemisphere. The 73-bed hospital is the only
one in the region. In 2008, Hôpital Sacré Coeur
treated 56,000 outpatients, with over 4,100 hospital
admissions and 1,262 newborn deliveries. There is no
other pharmacy or laboratory in the area, so last
year the hospital filled 136,000 prescriptions and
completed over 77,000 lab tests. It provided almost
2,000 patient visits through the Mobile Clinic
project. For more information: